Gabby Thomas: Qualifying for Team USA harder than getting into Harvard

Gabby Thomas found it “harder” to qualify for the Olympics than to get into Harvard.

The 24-year-old sprinter – who qualified for Tokyo 2020 with the second-fastest 200m time in history – studied neurobiology and global health at the prestigious college and though it’s difficult to get a place there, she admitted she had to do much more to get into Team USA.

She told People magazine: “Making that Olympic team was harder. It’s not a question.

“The US trials, across the sprints for sure, but I’m sure other events as well, is just the hardest team to make in the world.”

Gabby – who is now in graduate school studying epidemiology at the University of Texas – found competing against her countrywomen for a place in the squad was more difficult than her sprints in the Olympics so far.

She added: “A lot of those races are probably just harder than some of the Olympic races. Some of them are the fastest races in history.

“I remember just being there for two weeks and that was just the toughest time period of my life to date, mentally. I wasn’t sleeping, I wasn’t eating. I was just so in this zone and constantly on this adrenaline rush, and it was tough.”

The runner hopes all the Black competitors win support across the US, even if people are unable to tune in to watch their events.

She said: “I want to make sure that all the Black athletes who are competing across every sport, every event are also getting the support.

“And if that’s not necessarily turning on your cable to watching the Olympics on the network, NBC, that’s fine by me. But support the Black athletes that are competing.

“And I think that’s pretty special because there are so many of us.”